Howard Gem Rotavator Manual

Was that meant to be operated by one person?!Yes, one person, Its actually easy to run. There is a caster wheel on the back to hold the tines up when not tilling and there is a full differential in the rearend so turning is a snap. When the tines are engaged, there is linkage that locks the diff together so all four wheels pull evenly. There is also a powered reverse - but you have to hold the clutch lever down as a built-in safety so it doesn't run over the operator.

• Howard Gem Rotavator Manual 2017

A very good idea There is three speeds forward and the starter crank is on the right side near the back of the tranny. It is out for use in Jonathans picture and in the storage position in my pic. It is geared up so one turn of the starting crank turns the crankshaft much more. I'm not sure of the ratio but mine starts with 1/4 turn of the crank if I cheat and prime the carb with the manual lever on the fuel pump. I bought mine at an auction to make a crawler from its chassis but it was just too neat to tear up so I have and will leave it as a tiller. I picked up the machine this morning. It was pulled from the back of the barn with help of a tractor.

I backed my trailer up to it and after about a half an hour of come along work, it was on my trailer. Two of the four tires are junk the other 2 have dry rot but hold air. I am looking in to replacing them. All four rims look good. The engine has no spark at this time and little compression, but has alot of promiss. It is machine 39254 which is stamped on the brass tag and on the machines frame too.

The Wisconsin engine was made between September and October of 1955. Kris, what does the rear caster look like?, mine is missing that.Thanks, Jonathan.

Are 4.00-12 walk behind garden tractor tires no longer being made? The only tires I can come up with in that size online are for trailers with radial tread not lug ag tires. 5.00-12 are available but I am not sure they will work for this application they might be too wide. Has anyone tried to use 5.00-12 tires on the Howard machines that run dual tires? I have not tried to find the tires locally yet since I want to get a rough estimate of cost before I decided which ones I want to purchase.Thanks, Jonathan. Jonathan, Sorry for the delay. I took a couple of pics of the rear wheel tonight and would be glad to send them to you via email if you PM me your address.

I'm on dialup and it takes forever to load them into photobucket, which is the only way I'm smart enough to post pics on this site.I couldn't find any 400-12s as well so the tires on mine are the 500-12. I think width wise 500-12 would work. The sidewalls might touch but the real problem is the rims are so narrow it puckers the tire up and they are right against the starter crank because of the extra height. If two of your tires are usable, I'd just run them on the outside. My experience with those factory tires is anything over two LBS. Pops the sidewall right out of them. If you want to run an different style of rim - you better take the lug nuts off and look at that deal first.

There are NO holes in the rims for the studs to go through!! Your machine must be older than mine, my serial # is 2051604.

Hi Jonathan, I used to have one with the English JAP engine, it looked like a motorcycle engine with the flywheel inside a round aluminum crankcase. I`ve also seen them with a one cylinder Wisconsin engine on them, but the 2 cylinder is certainly the most impressive looking. If you look in Dave Baas book Vintage Garden Tractors, on page 41 under Rotary Hoe, there is a picture of one with the JAP engine, from a 1949 advertisement announcing the arrival in this country of this brand of tiller.

It says that it was invented by A.C. Howard of England.

The only differences that I know of between the different models, besides the engines, is that the JAP powered one had a seperate engine oil tank on the end of the gas tank, like a motorcycle. Otherwise they look the same, although I`ve never had a chance to see 2 of them side by side. Kris,Thanks for taking the pics. According to the manuals that came with my machine I think that caster wheel was an option that, most only came with a skid. I figured running duals that were a little wider would affect the crank through.

I was thinking about keeping the dual tire set up since the machine is so heavy ( I am pretty sure it is at least 800lbs with the twin cylinder engine) I think the duals would help offset the weight better. I also noticed that the rims have no bolt holes in them. According to the owner’s manual this was a safety feature, to prevent damage to the drive train if something got caught between the wheels and the frame.

The wheels would disengage and slip and no break any gears or axels.Bill,I have a copy of the Gem III manual with has information on the J.A.P engine, I am pretty sure this manual is original to this machine, and when the unit was imported in to the US, a Wisconsin engine was added and a separate Wisconsin manual which I have was also included. The Wisconsin Twin engine was one of the main reasons I wanted this unit, since regardless if the tiller worked the engine would still be good for another use.

As much as I love collecting Briggs engines, I believe that no engine was built for heavy duty service like a Wisconsin was back in the 40's and 50's. Just look at how many are still around and working. The Twin Wisconsin makes this unit look like a beast. According to the parts books I have AEN's and AHH engines (Single Cylinder) engines were also used along with K-Series Kohlers and small Hartz diesels, which but be a cool unit themselves.

There is also a good book called ' The Rototiller in America' by Donald A Jones that has info on these and other machines. I also was happy that the engine was an American engine, so I would not have to deal with a magneto made by the “prince of darkness” Lucas Co; ask any British car collector they will know what I mean.

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to ensure that sellers understand their audience and can provide relevant adsWe do this with social media, marketing, and analytics partners (who may have their own information they’ve collected). Saying no will not stop you from seeing Etsy ads, but it may make them less relevant or more repetitive. Find out more in our. Here I have a reproduction of the Howard GEM Service and Repair Manual (1977)74 Pages covering various machine components and variants, clutch, engine removal, gearbox etc.A3 Foldout Diagram:Maintenance & Lubrication DiagramInsertion Sheet: Alternative parts/fitment details (6 Pages)Book is contained in one 74 page spiral bound volume, clear plastic front & rear covers for protection.Please take a look at the pictures included to see the quality of the artwork. The A3 diagrams have been generated from original diagrams and edited, cleaned and redrawn where required.Drop me a mail if you require any further details.I also have other Posters, Howard Clifford, Villiers & JAP Engine and other Vintage manuals for sale.

Howard Gem Rotavator Manual 2017

I also have brochures and display items as well.